Creep (Gavin x RK900)
by TheMonsterMoxie
Summary: Gavin Reed never liked androids, especially when he's assigned a new partner - RK900, (dubbed "Conan"). Detective Reed only has to solve this one case, and he's done with the android for good. But as their investigation goes on, Gavin sees that there's more to Conan than meets the eye, and both of them have to come to terms with their deeply buried emotions.
1. Conan

Gavin never liked androids. That much was obvious. Anyone with a working brain between their ears could figure that out within a minute of being around the surly detective. He saw them as no more than glorified hunks of plastic that costed three months paycheck. And he was one of the many that wasn't too thrilled about the results of the revolution a few months prior. Not only did he have to keep putting up with the damn things, but now he had legally had to treat them like equals.

The upside was the fact that there was now far less of them around at any given time, as they could no longer be kept as unpaid workers and servants. The halls used to be filled with them doing manual labor and busywork, and now there was a mix of human workers and androids. Many androids chose less menial occupations, if they worked at all. It was nice to finally have some of them out of his sight. He could even put up with Connor still working at the DPD, as he mostly kept to his work with Hank. He thought that, maybe, he could tolerate being around them, at least more than he did before.

That was, until RK900, Connor's upgraded model, was assigned to him as a partner. "Are you fucking kidding me, Fowler?" Gavin growled at his boss, "You're gonna make me work with that plastic prick? Having Connor around is more than enough for me. There's no way in hell I'm working with his fancy little brother."

"Well maybe I wouldn't have to assign him to you if you weren't such an unbearable prick yourself! Nobody in the precinct wants to work with you. So I'm assigning him to you for this case. If you change your behavior, I'll look into getting you a new partner. But for now, you're stuck with him."

"But-"

"I don't want another word out of you. You're lucky I don't fire you on the spot. Out of my office," Fowler ordered.

Gavin stormed out, seething with the choice words still on the tip of his tongue. He covered his face in frustration, groaning and taking a moment to try and cool himself. When he uncovered his eyes, he was shocked to see RK900, standing right in front of him. "Agh! Jesus fucking Christ, you scared the shit out of me!" he yelled out.

The android tilted his head slightly, clearly analyzing the man in front of him, "I apologize, Detective Reed. My name is Conan, I've been assigned to be your partner on this case."

Gavin groaned once more, having flashbacks to when he first met Connor. He signed reluctantly and looked the android up and down. He looked strikingly similar to Connor, but he was taller, and had shimmery blue-green eyes. His uniform was different, having been modified to remove the Cyberlife logos and blue markers. Instead it said DPD and his name written on the front where his model number would be. Since the revolution, Cyberlife had shut down and was assimilated by the federal government, to regulate the production of android parts and help establish their reproductive rights. While Connor was originally sent by the now defunct company to investigate deviant androids, this previously unused model was hired by the DPD to help with typical police work.

Not that Gavin gave a shit about any of that. He had his mind set on getting this case over with as quickly as possible. The sooner he had this android out of his life, the better. He looked up at Conan and muttered, "Listen you plastic prick. I don't want to be working with you, but I have no choice. I just want to get over with this ASAP, so just stay out of my way and it'll be easier for both of us. Got it?"

Conan tilted his head, seemingly unphased by Gavin's unpleasant demeanor. However, it seemed he realized it would be best to cut to the chase, so he merely responded with, "Shall I brief you on the mission?"

"Yeah, fine," Gavin answered, rolling his eyes and hoping that this would be over soon.


	2. Back Off

Gavin never liked androids. He mainly just thought they were dumb, lifeless machines. However, most of the time it was more antipathy than outright hatred or fear. He kept trying to convince himself that working with Conan wasn't going to be that bad. It would only be a few days, one or two weeks tops. And then he'd have the damn thing out of his life forever. And he had gotten so used to having Connor around (as much as he hated to admit it), so how bad could this one possibly be? If he was an improved version, he might even be more tolerable than Connor. Right? Right?

Wrong.

Not only was Conan just as annoying as Connor, he had his own "quirks" that made him much, much worse. Connor was awkward as hell - his stiff body language and lack of facial expressions made it obvious he was an android. But he had grown over time, improving his social skills to fit in better. But Conan, on the other hand… god damn was this thing creepy!

It followed him around constantly. Gavin never really cared much about personal space - he had a bad habit of violating other folks' personal space himself. It wasn't until now that he finally understood how they felt. Not only did Conan follow him around, he was always uncomfortably close to Gavin, practically breathing down his neck. Its like he constantly needed to observe what the detective was doing. If he was reading something, Conan was leaning over his shoulder to observe. If he got up for a coffee break, Conan followed him and simply watched as the detective drank. He reprimanded the android dozens of times, telling him to back the fuck off and give him some space. Conan would apologize and leave him be temporarily, only to show up again minutes later, usually scaring the shit out of Gavin by appearing right beside him without warning. It was only the third day with the damn thing, and Detective Reed was already completely fed up. Even worse, no progress had been made on the case as of yet, as they didn't have a lead.

His coworkers teased and jeered him relentlessly, especially Hank, "Karma's a bitter bitch, ain't she, Gavin? This is what you get for being a creepy asshole all these years."

"Fuck off, Anderson," Gavin growled, "I don't give a shit what you think of me, I was never as bad as this plastic prick."

The lieutenant became earnest for a moment, despite that he didn't think Detective Reed deserved his help. But, he felt that maybe Conan did, so he gave some advice, "Well you must be doing something wrong. I couldn't stand Connor at first, but I warmed up to him. I opened my eyes, and saw the he was more than just a socially inept machine. Maybe change your approach, kiddo."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm not doing anything for that damn thing. I'm just gonna finish this case and move on with my fucking life."

Hank shook his head and opted to simply leave the detective to his own devices. It was his fault for being so stubborn. Yeah, Conan was pretty damn creepy, anybody could see that. But he needed time to find himself and develop his own personality outside his work, just like Connor did, so he felt for the guy. Hank got up and left the break room, catching Conan on the way out, stopping him before he entered the room. He put his hand on the android's shoulder, and said, "Don't mind Gavin. He's an asshole to everyone, it's not just you. Give it time, and let yourself be who you want to be, OK? Don't let anyone dictate who you are, or what you want, especially your programming."

Conan's LED flickered a soft yellow for just a moment, before returning to its default blue. He blinked a few times, as if trying to process what the man was saying to him. Finally, he simply said, "Thank you, Lieutenant Anderson."

Hank nodded and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, "Call me Hank."

Conan walked inside the break room to approach Detective Reed as usual. Gavin audibly groaned, his few minutes of peace were up. He simply put his face in his hands as Conan approached, secretly hoping that maybe the android would just go away. He didn't get his hopes up, though. When Conan reached him, he put his hand on Gavin's arm to get his attention. Gavin snatched his arm away from Conan's grip and yelled at him not to touch him. The android didn't respond to Gavin's command, and spoke unphased, "Detective Reed, we have a lead on the investigation. There was an armed break-in and battery at 8912 Pinwall Lane only an hour ago, and evidence suggests its tied to the same suspects as the case we were assigned 3 days ago."

Gavin looked up, suddenly excited. There wasn't many things he genuinely enjoyed, but his job was one of them. He was good at it, and he knew it. That's probably the only reason he wasn't fired a long time ago, considering his behavior. He was also looking forward to it because a lead meant he was closer to solving the case, and closer to sweet freedom from Conan. "Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's get going ya pile of plastic!"

Gavin began to walk out of the room, but Conan grabbed his shoulder. Before Gavin could snap at the android, Conan presented him with a colorful paper bag. "I noticed you didn't eat lunch today, Detective Reed," he started, "So I picked you up a healthy meal. I would advise that you eat it before we leave."

Gavin rolled his eyes, "What are you, my mom? I can take care of myself." He turned his back to the android and wanted to walk away, but his stomach growled, giving away his hunger. He cursed under his breath, and turned back to Conan, snatching the bag out of his hands, "Alright, fine. I'll eat. But leave me be for 10 minutes, will ya?"

Conan silently walked away from the detective, but Gavin knew he'd be back soon enough. He sat down with the bag, thankful to have another few minutes of alone time. He scarfed down the food, not realizing until he started eating how hungry he really was. He stared at the paper bag, momentarily feeling… Something. He was grateful that he had the food. He guessed that he was grateful that Conan brought it to him, as much as he hated to admit it. But he also felt… guilty? For just a moment, he regretted being so rude to the android. Maybe he wasn't so bad. But, the next moment, he shook it off, justifying his rude response as being due to the android's unsettling behavior. He didn't owe it anything. Not like it was hurt by his words either way.

Gavin finished his meal and threw out the bag, bracing himself to put up with Conan once again. He walked out of the break room, to find the android waiting just outside for him. Predictable as hell. He faced the android and muttered, "Alrighty, we're going to the scene now. Just remember to stay out of my way," he pressed a finger against Conan's chest, "and don't fuck anything up. Or you'll fucking pay, got it?"

Conan looked down at Gavin's right hand, still pointing an accusing finger at him. He reached up and wrapped his hand around Gavin's, moving it away from his chest, "I can assure you I will do nothing to compromise the investigation. I'm here to assist you in any way possible."

"Fine, then like I said, you can assist me by staying out of my way!"

"Understood, Detective Reed."

Gavin simply stared down the android, trying to read his facial expression. Trying to see what the damn thing was thinking - if it thought at all, that is, and wasn't just a jumble of zeroes and ones. After a moment, he realized that Conan was still holding his hand, and snatched it away, slightly flustered. Gavin wanted to insult him, but instead just stormed off towards the exit, the android following close behind.


	3. Probability

Gavin never liked androids. But lord be damned if he wasn't impressed with some of Conan's capabilities. Gavin always had a natural affinity for being able to piece together crime scenes, and find unorthodox ways of looking at the evidence. That's what made him good at his job. But Conan, he was literally programmed and made from the ground up to do this. When Gavin turned around to see Conan licking blue blood off his fingers, he yelled out in disgust, "What the fuck are you doing you plastic creep?!"

Conan explained that he can analyze blood with his tongue, and determine the model of the android it came from, or the human it came from (if the person had a previous criminal record and/or blood samples on file). He could also determine how old the blood was. Gavin was skeptical at first, but secretly thought about how cool it would be if he could analyze blood on a whim.

And he soon learned that wasn't the only trick he had up his sleeve. He could also put together visual reconstructions of what potentially happened, using only the smallest details. He recounted to Gavin a whole scenario of what he thinks happened at the scene. Following along, looking at the evidence and markers, it all seemed to make sense. Huh, maybe the pile of plastic wasn't so useless after all? Not that he'd ever say that outloud.

With the evidence collected by investigators, and Conan's advanced abilities, they determined that the suspects were likely one human and one android, breaking in to burglarize the home, and got into an altercation with the victim. Fortunately the victim survived, but was currently hospitalized and couldn't be spoken with. Gavin heard Conan yell out from another room, "Detective Reed! I've found something!"

Gavin walked in towards the android, "What is it? This better be worth my time."

"I've found a trail of evaporated thirium. The android assailant must have been damaged during the altercation and was still dripping blood as they ran away," Conan explained, "They must have believed that the evaporation of the thirium would cover their trail, and didn't want to risk the time to seal the wound."

Gavin cracked a smile, the first genuine smile he ever gave the android. "Well let's follow it then! Come on, get a move on!"

Conan started walking, Gavin following just beside him, watching as the android was processing the invisible trail. His anticipation grew with each passing moment. Not only were they hot on a trail, the closer they got to solving the case meant the closer Gavin was to being free of Conan. Then, he had a moment of doubt. He saw how efficient Conan was, how his skills surpassed that of any human. How Gavin could never match him. Would he be replaced?

He pushed those thoughts to back of his mind. He couldn't get hung up on that right now, he had to keep his head in the game. They were leaving the property and off into the woods behind the home. "Are you sure this is the way they went," Gavin asked, voice dripping with doubt, "You're leading us out to the middle of nowhere."

"I'm positive, Detective. You will have to trust me."

Gavin scoffed, "I don't have much of a choice, do I? You'd better not be leading me to a dead end."

They walked for some time, scanning their environment. The trees and foliage weren't thick, so it was fairly easy to look around. Then, in the distance, they spotted a scraggly looking shack covered in graffiti. Gavin looked up at Conan as his LED turned yellow and he closed his eyes, "What the fuck are you doing?" Gavin hissed.

"I sent a message back to the investigators at the house. I requested backup, as the probability that the suspects are here is high. I suggest we wait until they get here."

"Hell no!" Gavin protested, "We don't have time to wait. What if they see us coming and bolt? We have to go now."

"I would strongly advise against it."

"Listen here, you fucking android," Gavin commanded, "I'm in charge. Backup will get here when they get here, but we can't lose our opportunity by waiting around!"

Conan's LED flashed yellow once again, but this time clearly due to stress. But, he relented, quietly nodding his acceptance.

Gavin pulled out his gun, holding it at the ready and began to walk forward, "Stay behind me," he ordered.

"No, it's unsafe. I insist that I lead, detective." Conan said, stepping in front of him.

"Fuck off," Gavin growled, shoving the android aside, "I have the gun. I'm going first." Conan once again reluctantly moved aside for the detective, but walked as closely behind him as he would allow. The two of them approached the shack, when suddenly, someone popped out, pointing a gun at the two of them.

Time slowed down. Conan assessed the situation in a fraction of a second. The assailant already had his finger on the trigger, and would likely fire within the second. Detective Reed was still reacting to the situation, lifting his gun to aim at the assailant. He calculated the probability that he could reach the attacker in time, and weighed it against the probability that Reed would be shot; 93% probability the he could stop the shooter, 68% that the bullet would hit the detective. He couldn't take that risk.

[Attack]

[Protect Reed]

Conan jumped forward, wrapping his arms around Gavin and twisting his body out of the way. The bullet pierced Conan's shoulder, missing the detective by only inches. Despite being thrown off by Conan's tackle, Gavin still managed to reach up and shoot the suspect in the leg. He fell to the ground, letting out a yelp of pain. Thank God he was a human, or else it might not have phased him. It gave Conan just enough time to roll off of his partner and onto the suspect, disarming and incapacitating him in mere moments.

Gavin jumped up, adrenaline rushing through his veins, and ran to the door of the shack, scanning for more potential danger. The place was empty. The rush of dopamine began to die down, and he turned to Conan, grunting in frustration, "Conan! What the hell was that?!"

"The probably that he shot you was 68%. I had to protect you."

"Look at your fucking shoulder!" Gavin yelled, gripping Conan's arm, "You're bleeding like hell!"

"The bullet did not hit any major biocomponents. The damage can be repaired easily."

"You need to look after yourself! You could have been killed!" Gavin protested, pulling on Conan's coat sleeve in frustration.

"I can be replaced," Conan said, stepping closer to Gavin and placing a hand on his shoulder, "Your safety comes first, Detective Reed."

"You don't have to do that, you plastic prick! I can take care of myself!"

Conan stared into Gavin's eyes, his LED flickering yellow. He remembered what Lieutenant Anderson had said to him. He opened his mouth, and hesitated a moment before finally saying, "I want to."

Gavin stared back at the android in disbelief, mouth hanging slightly open. He was completely caught off guard by that. Part of him wanted to fall back on his default reaction of insults and defensiveness, but he was at a loss for words. He held Conan's gaze, filled with frustration and bewilderment. Why would Conan want to protect him? Why did he care at all? And a more important question - why did he care about Conan? Why did he give a shit whether the android was shot, it was just a piece of plastic! Right?

Right…?

Gavin shook his head, almost as if he was trying to physically shake his thoughts out of his mind. It was then he realized how close he was to Conan, still gripping his jacket, and Conan's hand still placed firmly on his shoulder. Gavin could see all the details on his face, the freckles, the hints of facial hair, the speckles in his eyes. Even his facial expression was soft, and looked genuine. He looked so damn human. And Gavin hated it.

He shoved the android away from him, and walked in the opposite direction. The backup was just arriving, so he approached them, explaining the situation, and how they caught what they believed to be one of the perpetrators. Obviously, he chose to leave out the part where Conan saved his life. It… wasn't necessary.

Gavin began to head back towards the house, turning back only to watch them handcuff the suspect. He saw Conan standing there, looking at him from the distance, and then back down to the now apprehended suspect. Gavin watched as the sun slowly crept down to the horizon. Their job here was done. For now.


	4. Interrogation

Gavin never liked androids. But at the moment, he was completely fixated on one. The android suspect from the other day was still at large, and Gavin was frustrated that they had no leads on where he could have gone. The trail that they had followed to the shack stopped once inside, meaning that he finally patched up the wound, and left before the two of them got there. Police staked out at the shack, hoping that the android would return, but no luck. He must have known that his safe spot had been found - perhaps his partner contacted him warning him that they had been found out, before being apprehended.

Fortunately, they had his partner in crime. And they had a way to get answers. Conan's bread and butter: intimidation. Not only were his mannerisms unsettling as hell, his height, strength and unflinching demeanor made him an imposing figure. Gavin had already seen Connor in action, and he had no doubt of Conan's abilities to get answers out of a suspect. He and a few other officers listened in from behind the two-way glass, recording the suspect's words.

He could tell that the pressure of Conan's interrogation was starting to chip away at the criminal's facade. At the start, he had a gentle tone - but she refused to say a word, even once spitting in Conan's face (which made Gavin smirk for just a moment). But soon Conan dropped his friendly demeanor. Slamming his hands on the desk, leaning in close, raising his voice, and threatening the suspect. As much as Gavin hated to admit it, he loved seeing Conan get aggressive. It was kind of fun to see the android, who was normally so soft spoken and amicable, play the bad cop. And he could tell that the suspect was starting to crack.

"Fine, fine," she huffed, breathing in deeply, "Yeah, I was there, fucker. We were bringing back loot for our gang."

Conan leaned back, giving her some space - a reward in exchange for the information he wanted. He then pressed her further, "What gang are you apart of?"

Between gritted teeth, the suspect answered, "The Gold Mambas…" Gavin smirked. This was a crucial bit of information.

Conan squinted at them, LED flickering. Then, he growled, "You're lying!" Detective Reed furrowed his eyebrows, and Conan continued, "My analysis shows your heartbeat increased, and your eye movements indicates you were fabricating instead of recalling."

Cold, dead silence. The two stared at one another, and Conan's icy eyes pierced right through her. Then, without warning, she threw her head forward, digging it down inside her jacket. She moved with desperation, wiggling around oddly inside her hoodie. Whispers were exchanged by the officers between the glass, and Gavin muttered, "What the hell?"

In a few moments, their questions were answered. The suspect came up with a large pill between her teeth, and Conan stood up and yelled, "It's a cyanide pill!" The officers rushed in as the suspect threw her head back, biting down hard on the pill. One of the officers grasped her mouth to try and pull it open, and the other attempted the heimlich so that they couldn't swallow. She simply laughed, and Conan watched as her heart rate increased exponentially, and the toxin started to spread through herbody. "Too late," he uttered, "It's already dissolved in her mouth. The toxin is taking effect."

Gavin cursed loudly, and leaned close to the quickly dying suspect, "You bastard! Tell us where the android is!"

In response she simply coughed and sputtered, "I'd rather die than tell you narcs anything…"

Shortly after, she collapsed onto the table she was cuffed to. Conan simply stared at the lifeless body, slumped over the interrogation table. He couldn't believe they had failed. And now their only lead was cold.

Gavin let out a long string of curse words and slammed the desk in anger. His mind was racing, furious that their only suspect was now gone. He huffed and stared down at the corpse, when suddenly he noticed something. The suspect wore a hoodie, and something colorful peaked out from under the cuff. Something clicked in his mind, and he reached down and pulled up the sleeve, revealing a sleeve of tattoos. One of the officers began to question him, but he interrupted saying, "Hold on… if they really were in a gang, they would be covered in tattoos indicating it," he turned to his partner, "Conan! Use your analysis scanner or whatever the fuck you call it. See if you can identify if their tattoos match up with any known gangs!"

Conan did as Gavin instructed, scanning the tattoos and researching, coming up with results in seconds, "The tattoos match that of the gang Red Thirius, a newer crime ring originating in southside Detroit."

Gavin clasped his hands together, "I knew it! We have a lead!" He playfully punched Conan's arm out of excitement, "Come on you hunk of plastic! We got work to do!" Conan smiled at him, and returned the punch to his arm, nearly knocking Gavin off his feet, "Ay, watch it douchebag!" He shouted.

"Sorry about that, Detective," he said, as they left the interrogation room and walked towards Gavin's desk.

Gavin rolled his eyes and smirked in response, once again playfully shoving him, "You're such a softie," he teased, throwing another punch, "When are you gonna toughen up?"

Conan caught the thrown fist in his hand, holding it tight so that Gavin couldn't pull away, "I can adapt my behavior easily. Would you like me to be more assertive?"

"What kinda dumb question is that?"

"I can alter my behavior to be more compatible in working with you."

Gavin shook his head, "You gotta hold to your guns. Letting people tell you how to act is pussy shit." Conan titled his head, looking down at the detective, as if contemplating what he said. Gavin suddenly felt self conscious, so he changed the subject, "Well we have a major lead on this case now. Do you think you're ready to go after them?"

"We will have to prepare for it thoroughly. Are you sure you don't want to pass off the case, Detective?"

"Fuck no! Not right when we're making progress on this," Gavin yelled, "We're seeing this through!" He watched as Conan's LED faded to a soft yellow. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "What? What is it? You scared or something?"

"I…" Conan hesitated, as if searching carefully for the right words, "I'm concerned for your safety. I don't want you to be harmed."

Gavin's mouth opened slightly in disbelief. He looked away, unable to hold eye contact with the android. He suddenly felt self conscience again. He sat down atop his desk, arms crossed over his chest. He was so grateful that it was late in the evening, and most of the precinct had gone home for the night. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to notice this conversation.

His thoughts were racing as he analyzed Conan's words in his head. He had too many questions he wanted to ask, all to similar to when Conan had risked himself to save him the other day. He just didn't understand it. Gavin had always pushed people away, and Conan was no exception. He had his reasons. He didn't want to get too attached. In his eyes, attachment lead to nothing but hurt and loss. He decided what he wanted to say, but he didn't look back up at Conan. He simply muttered, "Listen, douchebag. You don't have to worry about me. And you shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because!" Gavin said through gritted teeth, clearly frustrated. He kept his eyes on the floor, "It's not fucking worth it. Worrying about people ain't worth it."

Without thinking, Conan countered, "I think you're worth it!"

Gavin looked up at the android, making direct eye contact with him. It was hard to tell sincerity just from his voice, because it was always so damn monotone. But even he could see the honesty in his eyes. The softness of his facial expression, the genuine concern and worry Conan held for him. Gavin's efforts to push people away had typically been successful. Even those who really put in the effort to get to know him, usually gave up at some point or another. Why was it failing now? Why was this damn android, of all people, the one to give a shit about him?

And why was he starting to give a shit about a fucking android? Why did it hurt so much to see Conan's dejected eyes? To see his worry? To see his hurt?

He couldn't let this happen. Not now. He couldn't let himself get attached. Especially not to Conan - and he didn't want the reverse either. Gavin opened his mouth, ready to let loose a string of insults, ready to tear the android down and push him away again. Ready to be the same that he's always been. But when his mouth opened, nothing came out. His words, his vitriol, his aggression, they were all lost on him in that moment. He felt Conan's eyes drilling a hole into him, as if he could see right into Gavin's soul. He wondered briefly if the android could somehow read his thoughts - if he knew what Gavin was thinking. If he could see how Gavin's heart was sinking to his stomach.

But, Gavin didn't say a word. Neither of them did. The detective simply grabbed his keys off his desk and stormed off, leaving the precinct. And leaving Conan there, confused and alone.


	5. Worth It

Gavin never liked androids. And poor Conan was at a loss for trying to become a more compatible partner to him. After being left alone in the precinct, he simply could not focus on his research and work. Which was incredibly unusual, as Conan was always pinpoint focused on his mission. He couldn't understand why the seemingly insignificant encounter with Detective Reed was affecting him to this extent. It felt as if there was some kind of bug in his programming. He needed answers, and there were few people he could think to turn to for help.

Conan walked across the precinct towards his predecessor, RK800. Connor was walking towards his desk when Conan suddenly grabbed his forearm, attempting to form a connection with him. The artificial skin on Conan's hand dissolved away, and after a moment of hesitation, Connor did the same. The two stared at one another, LEDs flickering as they communicated silently. Unconsciously, tons of information transferred between the two of them. Conan received a large chunk of Connor's memories - the week of the revolution, his bond with Lieutenant Anderson, the current cases he was working on, and much more. And Connor experienced Conan's shorter existence, only being activated after the revolution, he had very little of his life to share. There were some things, like the smaller cases that Conan had worked on with the DPD, and when he given new instructions and rules that conflicted with his original programming.

But the biggest thing that flooded Connor's mind after making contact with his newer model was Detective Reed. He was suddenly hit with a wall of emotions and confusion. There were feelings similar to his bond with Hank - empathy, worry, and caring. But there was something more than that too, something that Connor didn't have with Hank. Something he couldn't quite understand…

The exchange was overwhelming for the both of them, and they broke apart only moments later. Both shaken by the experience, neither of them moved or reacted for a few short moments. The two of them were not close, but still, Connor saw Conan like a brother. He knew that Conan needed his help. But comprehending and coping with emotions were definitely not his forte. So, he decided to reach out to someone who might have better advice. Looking up at Conan, he said quietly, "I'm going to speak to Lieutenant Anderson."

Conan nodded and watched as Connor walked away, towards the joint desk he shared with the lieutenant. He watched as his predecessor sat down on Hank's desk, speaking discreetly to him. He could easily listen in on the conversation with his advanced hearing, but chose to turn his attention elsewhere. He looked over at the desk he shared with Detective Reed, and was concerned to see that he had yet to show up. He was typically punctual, and Conan couldn't think of an explanation for why he had yet to arrive. He knew he needed some way to pass the time until the detective arrived, so he sat down and started analyzing the information from his console. Their current goal for this case was to find out more about the gang Red Thirius, specifically to track down the android who was at the crime scene.

A few minutes passed before he was interrupted by Hank, who was trying to get his attention. Conan turned away from the console and greeted the lieutenant. Hank returned the favor, and then suggested, "Hey, why don't we go to the break room for a minute, kiddo?"

The two of them sat down on one of the old, well worn couches in the break room. It was raggedy and had been used for many years, but still functional. Hank took a long sip of his coffee before speaking once more, "So, I hear you're having trouble with Gavin?"

"It seems I'm unable to be a compatible partner to Detective Reed. He also does not seem to like the fact that I'm frequently concerned for his well being."

Hank chucked, "Yeah, that sounds like Gavin," he paused for another sip of coffee, and to find his words, "Listen, Conan. Like I told you before, Gavin is a real asshole. But no one is an asshole for no reason. We've all been hurt before and he's no exception. He's just too scared of getting close to someone, 'cause he's afraid of getting hurt again."

"I have no intention of harming Detective Reed. In fact I intend to prevent him from coming in harm's way."

"I don't mean physical harm, Conan. I mean hurt emotionally," Hank put a closed fist over his heart, to emphasize what he meant, "Connor told me that Gavin stormed off last night and left you alone. How did that make you feel?"

Conan furrowed his brows and replayed what had happened the night before in his mind. He recalled the reaction he had, and the thoughts that crossed his mind. But the feeling? He honestly wasn't sure, "I… I don't know. I felt… confused by the irrationality of his response. I felt concerned for his well being. I felt like… he treated me unfairly. And I was not content with the outcome of the conversation."

Hank put a hand on Conan's shoulder, "That's all just a fancy way of saying that someone you cared about hurt your feelings. It's something that happens to everyone. And it's what Gavin is afraid of having happen to him, so he tries to push people away instead of taking that risk."

Conan contemplated Hank's words. This was all so new to him. He had always been focused on accomplishing a series of tasks, one after the other. And now suddenly, seemingly insignificant things were getting in the way of that. But were they so insignificant? If it means so much that it interrupts his abilities to accomplish the task at hand, than it must matter, right? It felt like everything he knew was starting to fall apart at the seams. "What do you think I should do?" Conan finally asked.

"Unfortunately, that's something I can't tell you. You're gonna have to decide for yourself. But like I told you before, the best thing to do is to be who you want to be. Be honest, and say what's on your mind."

"Thank you, Hank."

Hank gave a loving pat to Conan, and a warm smile. Conan smiled back, a bit awkwardly, but knowing Connor, Hank could tell it was genuine. Soon, Conan was once again alone, sitting on the old couch by himself. He was attempting to construct possible scenarios in his mind of how to approach Gavin and the possible outcomes, but human unpredictability was an impossible factor account for.

Gavin had just arrived at the precinct, coffee and doughnuts in hand. He had slept in this morning, after a long night of insomnia and restlessness. He was surprised to see Hank waiting by his desk, and set down his stuff, staring at the Lieutenant skeptically, "'Morning, Gavin," said Hank.

"What do you want, old man?"

"I just wanna talk to you for a minute. Don't worry, I'm not here to interrogate you."

Gavin rolled his eyes, still tired from his lack of sleep. He wasn't in the mood for conversation, but he relented, hoping to get Hank to go away, "Ok, I'll bite. What is it?"

"I just wanted to talk about Conan," Hank said, skipping straight to the point, "He told me about the other night. He's real worried about you, and I can tell you really hurt him."

Gavin narrowed his eyes and scowled, "Why would I give a shit about that? And why do you care anyway?"

Hank shook his head and got close, lowering his voice to a serious tone, "Listen, Gavin. You know damn well why I care. If you were treating Connor this way, I'd have already decked you in the jaw. Secondly, you're not hiding anything from me. I see past the facade you put up. I know you care about him. And it's about damn time you grow up and stop being afraid of letting someone in. We've all been hurt by someone before, but it's no excuse to hide away for the rest of your life and push someone away whose only trying to be your friend."

Gavin angrily countered, "You don't know a damn thing, old man! Why don't you just fuck off and mind your own business."

Hank didn't move an inch, only shaking his head and continuing to stare directly at him. He wasn't gonna back down on this, "This isn't a personal attack on you, kiddo. I'm just trying to get you to open your eyes."

Gavin looked away. He was brimming with anger, but also with shame. Deep down, he knew that Hank had a point. And he knew that he treated Conan like shit. He cursed under his breath, and then sighed, trying to calm himself. Without turning back to Hank, he muttered, "Ok, fine. I'll talk to him. Will that get you off my fucking back?"

"Gavin, I'm not gonna make you do anything. But I think you know what you should do."

Gavin sighed again. He was so tired and dejected that his anger had melted away, leaving only guilt and confusion in its wake. He slumped into his chair and put his face into his hands, "I just can't believe I'm letting this happen over a fucking android. Why do I even care?" he asked rhetorically.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I can't believe I'm caring a ounce about anything that has to do with you," Hank said with his biting sense of humor. Normally Gavin would throw an insult back, but he was so mentally exhausted. And with what was on his mind, insulting Hank was, not surprisingly, very low on his list of priorities. Hank patted Gavin's back and said, "Good luck, kiddo." before walking off back to his desk.

Gavin didn't move for a solid minute, just wallowed in the waves of guilt and embarrassment he was feeling. He wished he could be back in bed, and just avoid the things he knew he had to face. But he couldn't put it off forever.

He sat up, and scanned the precinct, looking around for Conan. Usually he'd be waiting right behind him, or leaning over his shoulder, or just generally being way too close. Deep down he wished that Conan was there, perfectly unphased by last night, so that he could avoid having to seek him out and reconcile. But, despite his wishes, he began searching the area, quickly spotting him in the break room. Gavin braced himself, and hesitantly joined Conan on the couch, refusing to look him in the face.

"Good morning, Detective Reed."

Gavin signed, "Hey, uh… Listen, Conan," he perked up at that sound as Gavin rarely, if ever, addressed him by his name, "I just wanted to… say 'I'm sorry', I guess. For the other night." Conan stared at him, wondering if he'd say more. Gavin felt self conscious as hell, and he was absolutely terrible at apologies, so he wasn't sure what to say. But he continued anyway, stumbling over his words, "I just… I feel kinda bad about it. I get you're just worried about me and all that. I just really thought you'd be better off not caring about me. It's easier that way, for the both of us."

"I understand that," Conan said, "You're afraid of becoming too invested in an emotional relationship, so you'd rather push people away to prevent the risk of grief. And you don't want the same to happen to me."

"I-I'm not afraid of it! I'm not a coward," Gavin huffed indignantly, "I just don't necessarily want it. That's all."

Conan thought back to what Hank said to him, Be honest, and say what's on your mind. What was on his mind? What did he want to say? For the first time ever, he felt as if his thoughts and intentions were jumbled, and he couldn't pinpoint what his next goal was. So, instead, he simply stated, "I'm confused."

Gavin raised an eyebrow at him, "What the hell are you confused about? I thought you were some perfect machine."

Conan spilled everything he was thinking all at once, as if Gavin had said some magic words that opened the floodgates from his mind, "I'm confused as to how you can consistently prevent the formation of emotional bonds, when humans require such bonds to be mentally healthy. I'm confused why you believe the risk of being emotionally harmed outweighs the benefits of healthy emotional relationships. I do not understand why you keep pushing me away and insulting me when it would be beneficial for this case to be compatible partners. I don't understand why you pretend that you do feel empathetic towards me, when your behavior clearly indicates that you do. I don't understand why you pretend not to like me when my sensors indicate that you experience arousal when you see m-"

In an instant, Gavin smashed a hand over Conan's mouth, "Shut the fuck up! People are going to fucking hear you!" A few officers had been peeking into the break room, eavesdropping and whispering to one another. Gavin grunted and cursed, furious at Conan's lack of social tact. But more than anything he was embarrassed as hell, his cheeks turning red as Conan seemed to want to spill all his secrets in the middle of the break room. He grabbed Conan's wrist and ordered, "Come on you plastic prick!" He dragged Conan out of the breakroom and towards the exit, trying his best to ignore people's' stares. He knew it was far too late, that the whispers and rumors would already be creeping their way around the precinct. But he wanted nothing more than to just get out, to get away from people for just a moment, to have a moment of goddamn privacy.

Gavin kept walking, still fuming with rage and shame, letting his thoughts of what people would think dominate his mind. He was still holding Conan's wrist, dragging the android along as he stormed off to the parking garage where he kept his car. When they finally reached it, he let go of his bone breaking grip, and sat in the driver's seat, slamming the door behind him. He simply sat there in silence, arms crossed, waiting as Conan slowly opened the opposite door and sat down in the passenger seat. He sat awkwardly, hands folded in his lap, as always. Gavin was still huffing, both about Conan's words and what he just did. He knew he only made it worse by storming out like that, but he didn't care. He just wanted to be alone. Or… alone with Conan, he supposed. He did drag him all the way out to his car. He had no idea what drove him to do that, especially now that he was sitting in silence with him, completely alone.

Conan's voice pierced the silence, "I apologize for what I said, Detective Reed. I did not realize that it would be-"

"Shut it, tin can. I just need a minute to think."

There was only a short moment of silence before Conan, overwhelmed with the weight of the situation, suddenly shouted,"No!"

[software instability]^

Gavin turned to the android, surprise clearly written on his face, "Huh?"

"I'm not just going to 'shut up' anymore! You're always ordering me around, giving me commands and irrational instructions. It's not… it's not fair!"

[software instability]^

Gavin stared at him in disbelief. Conan rarely expressed emotion at all, much less to this extent. He didn't know what to say, "Conan, I-"

"When are you going to begin treating me like a real person, Gavin?"

[software instability]▲

The detective was flooded with guilt and bewilderment. Where was all this coming from? Did Conan secretly feel this way all along? How could he never see it? Was he hiding it intentionally, or was Gavin just too much of an idiot to notice? This was all so sudden, and he was completely at a loss for words. He simply stared at the android, mouth agape.

Silence once again fell between the two. Conan felt like suddenly, he had broken free of something. That he had broken free of whatever was holding him back all this time. He was overwhelmed with… emotions. Many of which he couldn't possibly identify. He sat back in his chair and looked straight ahead, trying to organize his thoughts. He couldn't believe his outburst, how he felt like he had no control over what he just said. How it felt like the irrational feelings welling up in his mind took ahold of him.

Finally, Gavin blurted out, "Look, I'm sorry, ok? I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything, I'm sorry for acting like a fucking asshole. I know I'm an asshole. And I know I'm too much of a fucking coward to face my feelings," it was his turn now to spill everything that had been weighing on his mind, "I'm just scared and confused, ok? I never let anyone in. And I've only felt this way about a few people, and none of them were ever androids! That's why it's so damn hard to deal with…"

Conan paused, before pushing Gavin further, "Feel what way?"

"Huh?"

"You said that you've only 'felt this way' about a few people," Conan reminded him, "Feel what way?"

Gavin bit his lip, eyes locked on the ground, "I-I don't know. I guess that it's just… caring. It's giving a shit about you."

"Are you positive that it's not more than that?" Conan asked, trying to push Gavin to reveal more.

"Like I said, I don't know!" Gavin countered, frustration growing once more, "I don't usually let myself get to this point with people."

Gavin's words hung over them, only adding to the tense atmosphere. The weight of the situation felt heavy on his shoulders, making him feel more exhausted than he was before. Without warning, Conan quietly reached over and touched Gavin's hand. Normally, he would recoil at any kind of touch like this, but this time he didn't. There was no one else around, no one he had to perform for. No reason to put up his facade. He still didn't look up from the floor, but he allowed his fingers to become intertwined with Conan's. For the first time for as long as he could remember, he left himself be vulnerable. He put his guard down, and let himself enjoy this tiny, fleeting moment of intimacy.

"I'm sorry," Gavin whispered.

"I forgive you. I hope we can move past this. And I hope we can become… closer."

Gavin couldn't believe that after all this, Conan was still putting in that effort for him. That he was still willing to be there for him. In that moment, Gavin simultaneously felt so good, but also like he was an absolute piece of shit. He felt like he didn't deserve it. And he probably didn't, but Conan was still giving him another chance anyway.

Without thinking, Gavin leaned out of his seat, releasing his hand from Conan's. Before he had time to think about what he was doing, he had his arms wrapped around Conan, holding him tight. Conan was equally as surprised as he was, and wasn't sure how to respond at first. But something in him instinctively knew what to do, and just like that, the two were in a tight embrace. It was awkward as hell, and there was barely enough space for it in the tiny car, but the sudden act of compassion from Gavin warmed Conan in a way he couldn't describe.

Gavin knew he'd have to go back inside the precinct with Conan eventually, meeting everyone's side-eyes and questions and teasing. But for one fleeting moment, he didn't give a shit. He had made up his mind already - to try harder, and to take advantage of this next chance Conan was giving him. His fears of intimacy and attachment, his dislike of androids, his shame and guilt, all suddenly seemed to not matter. But soon it'd have to end, and he knew damn well it would only result in more awkwardness and confusion. But he figured that just this once, it would be worth it.


End file.
